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Carney government showing a ‘clear reluctance’ to criticize Trump with lack of direct condemnation over Venezuela raid, says past Liberal foreign minister Axworthy

Carney government showing a ‘clear reluctance’ to criticize Trump with lack of direct condemnation over Venezuela raid, says past Liberal foreign minister Axworthy

In the wake of American forces capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and conducting air strikes in the country, a former Liberal foreign affairs minister is calling on Canada to stand up to violations of international law by the administration of United States President Donald Trump. In an early morning military raid on Jan. 3, U.S. military forces apprehended Maduro in...

Canada, allies should decry Trump flouting international law at Paris summit, experts say

Canada, allies should decry Trump flouting international law at Paris summit, experts say

Canada and its allies must send a strong signal to the United States from a Paris summit on Ukraine this week that they do not support President Donald Trump’s flouting of international law through a military strike on Venezuela that seized its leader, foreign policy experts say. French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday is gathering leaders of European countries as...

Mexico condemns U.S. military action in Venezuela, protesters call for Ottawa support

Mexico condemns U.S. military action in Venezuela, protesters call for Ottawa support

As a number of countries condemn the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, protesters in Ottawa were calling for the federal government to support the right to self-determination for the Venezuelan people and for the U.S. to back away. Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the U.S. embassy steps away from Parliament Hill on Sunday...

Canada's oil sector shouldn't panic, stay competitive after Maduro's seizure: expert

Canada's oil sector shouldn't panic, stay competitive after Maduro's seizure: expert

A political scientist says U.S. President Donald Trump's interest in transforming Venezuela's oil-rich sector is a reminder for Canada's oil and gas industry to not panic and stay competitive. Heather Exner-Pirot, director of energy, natural resources and environment with the think-tank Macdonald-Laurier Institute, says Canada has always competed with other oil-rich countries, and Trump's recent claims his country will "run"...

Rubio says US won't govern Venezuela but will press for changes through oil blockade

Rubio says US won't govern Venezuela but will press for changes through oil blockade

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela other than enforcing an existing "oil quarantine" on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro. Rubio's statements on TV talk shows...

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PCs lead OLP 44% to 35%, Ontarians Skeptical of Highway 401 Tunnel Expansion

PCs lead OLP 44% to 35%, Ontarians Skeptical of Highway 401 Tunnel Expansion

A new Liaison Strategies poll conducted for Focus Ontario shows the governing Progressive Conservatives maintaining a 9-point lead over the Ontario Liberals among decided voters. However, the survey also finds significant public opposition to the provincial government's proposal to build a tunnel under Highway 401, with a majority of Ontarians favoring other infrastructure and social priorities. Conducted from December 5-7...

Liberals 39% (+1), Conservatives 37% (-1)

Liberals 39% (+1), Conservatives 37% (-1)

A new national Liaison Strategies poll conducted over the weekend shows the Liberals up one point to 39%, while the Conservatives slip one to 37%. The federal NDP remains in double digits, but is down one point to 11%. Conducted from December 19-28, 2025, using Interactive Voice Response (IVR), the survey polled 1,000 Canadians, with the sample split evenly between...



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Poilievre promised to "make Canada the freest country in the world". What does freedom mean to him?

Poilievre promised to "make Canada the freest country in the world". What does freedom mean to him?

If Putin or Xi removed Maduro and said they would be running Venezuela for a while and selling Venezuela’s oil to make profits from it, would you celebrate this as a great step for freedom? Of course not.

Change – but not regime change – comes to Venezuela

Change – but not regime change – comes to Venezuela

Venezuelans are legendary partiers, and the images of dictator Nicolas Maduro in handcuffs aboard a U.S. ship early Saturday morning provided the first excuse in a very long time for a mass celebration – not just on the streets of Caracas, but in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Santiago, New York and places between, where a third of Venezuela’s population has been...

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Next year ‘an important one for Quebec’ as possibility of referendum looms, say Bloc MP, politicos

Next year ‘an important one for Quebec’ as possibility of referendum looms, say Bloc MP, politicos

Ottawa is likely preparing for the next year of Quebec politics with some “anxiety,” say politicos, as 2026 could see the province revisiting a referendum on separatism with the sovereignist Parti Québécois continuing to lead in the polls.

Trump's plan to seize and revitalize Venezuela's oil industry faces major hurdles

Trump's plan to seize and revitalize Venezuela's oil industry faces major hurdles

President Donald Trump's plan to take control of Venezuela's oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it after capturing President Nicolas Maduro in a raid isn't likely to have a significant immediate impact on oil prices. Venezuela's oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions, so it could take years and major investments before production...



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Donald Trump and the Evolution of Regime Change

Donald Trump and the Evolution of Regime Change

How should we understand the ongoing U.S. regime change operation in Venezuela? First, there is no need to lament the extraction of Nicolás Maduro—an authoritarian leader who executed a policy of economic brutality and forced displacement against his fellow citizens yet remained in power despite receiving far fewer votes than opposition candidate Edmundo González in the 2024 presidential election. Second...

Venezuela’s fate is a warning for Canada

Venezuela’s fate is a warning for Canada

No one need shed a single tear for Nicolás Maduro, a ruthless dictator who extinguished Venezuela’s democracy and set its economy into a death spiral. His sins are many: stolen elections, numerous alleged crimes against humanity, and more than a decade of exploitation of what once was and should still be a prosperous country. And of course, the Trump administration...

Trump is about to find out toppling Maduro was the easy part

Trump is about to find out toppling Maduro was the easy part

The United States has a really bad record when it comes to regime change. Time and again it’s sought to oust foreign leaders and replace them with more favoured replacements. The success rate isn’t great. It was a disaster in Vietnam, at a horrendous cost in life. Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, … defeat, disappointment, debacle, take your pick. Again and...

In Venezuela, Trump’s Donroe Doctrine is now in action. Canada can’t sit on its hands

In Venezuela, Trump’s Donroe Doctrine is now in action. Canada can’t sit on its hands

The Donroe Doctrine has been put into action and the United States has re-entered the business of regime change in the Americas. Canada can’t keep sitting on our hands and hoping it will all work out. Late Friday night, American might pounded military installations across Venezuela while helicopters full of special forces descended on Caracas to snatch dictator Nicolas Maduro...

Venezuela’s oil, amid his lust for global dominance, was irresistible to Donald Trump

Venezuela’s oil, amid his lust for global dominance, was irresistible to Donald Trump

It’s about the oil, stupid. Cheap oil. President Donald Trump couldn’t have been more blunt and tactless about that, a rare occasion when he hasn’t delivered words wrapped in mendacity. It’s about the “Putinization” of American foreign policy, music to the ears of the Russian dictator — not existentially different from Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, covetous of sovereign territory...

Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise

Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise

Over the past few months, President Trump has deployed an imposing military force in the Caribbean to threaten Venezuela. Until now, the president used that force — an aircraft carrier, at least seven other warships, scores of aircraft and 15,000 U.S. troops — for illegal attacks on small boats that he claimed were ferrying drugs. On Saturday, Mr. Trump dramatically...



Mark Carney in 2026: Progressive pivot or Progressive Conservative?

Mark Carney in 2026: Progressive pivot or Progressive Conservative?

Consensus analysis of the 2025 election results includes this thesis: centre-left ‘progressive’ voters abandoned the NDP and voted for the Liberals under Prime Minister Carney and gave him his victory. Why? Two broad reasons: 1) to unite against Donald Trump and 2) to unite against the possibility that Pierre Poilievre could be prime minister. Of course, there is more to...

As we enter another precarious year, Canadian politics is a tangle of contradictions

As we enter another precarious year, Canadian politics is a tangle of contradictions

The pollsters are trying to tell us something. For much of the past year, the dominant strain of Canadian political coverage has focused on the struggles of Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, especially as contrasted with the brilliant successes of his opponent, Mark Carney. How could it not? Mr. Poilievre saw a 25-point lead evaporate in the space of two...

If Trump is the question, can Poilievre really be the best Conservative answer?

If Trump is the question, can Poilievre really be the best Conservative answer?

Canada's next election will turn on how much people want to escape the chaos and division Trump brings to their lives. Conservatives have a horse bred for a different race. Trump was sworn into office again a little more than 300 days ago. In 300 days, Americans can hit the reset button. Most Canadians are really hoping that they do...

One Year in, a Weaker Trump Gives Canada Breathing Room — and Hope

One Year in, a Weaker Trump Gives Canada Breathing Room — and Hope

As the world reels from another chaotic year, humanity hopes for a less frenetic, less dangerous 2026 while, as ever, bracing for God’s laughter. The negative change agent responsible for our insecurity is Donald Trump. Our hope lies in the fact that Americans now seem tired of the roller-coaster of shock driven by Trump, his tone of derision and vindictiveness...

Carney and the Coalition of the Willing: Can Canada Help Close the Russia-Ukraine Deal?

Carney and the Coalition of the Willing: Can Canada Help Close the Russia-Ukraine Deal?

At the risk of ushering in the new year to the soundtrack of collapsing illusions, Donald Trump is not a stable genius. He is also not a peace negotiator. As McGill University Russia expert Maria Popova pointed out in her Policy column this week, Trump’s role in what she has previously dubbed the “Groundhog Day diplomacy” of the Russia-Ukraine negotiations...

Canadian politics in 2026: Two fault lines that could alter the landscape

Canadian politics in 2026: Two fault lines that could alter the landscape

The year-in-review phase is over. It’s time to look ahead. In Canadian politics, 2025 will be remembered as the year of Trump. In 2026, I regret to predict, very little will change. In my last column, I argued that the U.S. midterms — and President Donald Trump’s rhetoric in the lead-up — will turn Canada into an increasingly convenient political...



Trump’s foreign policy shows what the U.S. is really thinking. Canada must respond

Trump’s foreign policy shows what the U.S. is really thinking. Canada must respond

We now have a written copy of the Donroe Doctrine, and it makes for some unnerving reading. The National Security Strategy serves as America’s written foreign policy, laying out priorities and concerns and revealing how the United States intends to both co-operate with its allies and compete with its adversaries. The first such document of Donald Trump’s second presidency dropped...

Mamdani’s victory in New York is a sign of a generational power shift

Mamdani’s victory in New York is a sign of a generational power shift

At the stroke of midnight, in a decommissioned subway station beneath the streets of Manhattan, the old world finally flickered out. Standing under the vaulted Guastavino arches of the abandoned City Hall stop, Zohran Mamdani took his oath of office on a Quran. Mr. Mamdani’s election victory was a cinematic heist of the political status quo. A 34-year-old, South Asian...

Canada has been silent on one of the most frightening stories of our time

Canada has been silent on one of the most frightening stories of our time

The dire warnings about AI keep coming. Eric Schmidt, former chief executive of Google, says that within a few years, millions of independent AI agents working together “will develop their own language.” And “we won’t understand what they’re doing.” They will have escaped human control. The University of Montreal computer scientist and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio told The Guardian this...

May we all tumble into this new year with intention and gratitude

May we all tumble into this new year with intention and gratitude

Everything can change in an instant. A life-altering – even, heaven forbid, life-ending – moment. Too many of you know this in a way that transcends vocabulary. This time of year can be particularly excruciating for anyone whose life has been changed irrevocably by a diagnosis, by a red-light runner, by the worst kind of phone call. Life can turn...

Canada’s Grocery Code Designed to Fail
‘Serious governance’ will be the theme of Canadian politics in 2026

‘Serious governance’ will be the theme of Canadian politics in 2026

Heading into 2026, Canada is grappling with talk of separatism referendums in two provinces, Alberta and Quebec. It is slated to participate in a formal review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) at a time when the U.S. has pledged to “reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.” Public trust in our institutions...



Mark Carney’s conceivable tragic fall will come from hubris

Mark Carney’s conceivable tragic fall will come from hubris

It has been curious to watch Prime Minister Mark Carney’s parade of year-end interviews while reading Paul Litt’s excellent 2011 biography of former prime minister John Turner: Elusive Destiny. Many of Turner’s qualities, as noted by journalist Ron Graham in a Saturday Night magazine profile ahead of the 1984 Liberal leadership election, could equally be said of Carney.

As long as Trump is in office, Canada is at risk. This is why protecting ourselves is the most important thing we can do

As long as Trump is in office, Canada is at risk. This is why protecting ourselves is the most important thing we can do

The week that Donald Trump was elected I offered Justin Trudeau some free advice in this newspaper. At that time, Trudeau was trailing Pierre Poilievre in the polls by 25 points and had been for two years, hanging onto power despite being so personally unpopular that he could not win support for anything.

Precarity Is the Mood. Independence Is the Risk Most Voters Will Not Take

Precarity Is the Mood. Independence Is the Risk Most Voters Will Not Take

I was 13 years old when Quebec voted on independence in 1995. I vaguely remember coming home the night the votes were being counted and seeing my parents glued to the television. I did not fully understand the stakes, but I could feel them. The tension in the room was unmistakable. Adults spoke in lowered voices. The country felt like...

Nothing is sacred in Doug Ford’s Ontario

Nothing is sacred in Doug Ford’s Ontario

Premier Doug Ford is tearing down everything we’ve ever loved about Ontario—starting with the things poor people need most to live.

Why 2025 changed everything in Canada’s political playbook

Why 2025 changed everything in Canada’s political playbook

As we close the book on 2025, the Canadian political landscape is not just altered, it is unrecognizable. For those of us within the “bubble,” this year served as a reminder that the old playbooks are obsolete. In 12 months, we witnessed the fall of a populist juggernaut, the erasure of a major party’s official status, and a pivot toward...

Canada and the EU can win an arms race with Russia, even without Trump

Canada and the EU can win an arms race with Russia, even without Trump

In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s Sunday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the U.S. president said he spoke with the leaders of France, Finland, Poland, Norway, Italy, the U.K. and Germany, as well as the presidents of NATO and the European Commission. Canada was notable by its absence, despite committing an additional $2.5 billion in financing and loan...

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Conservative Party of B.C. forms leadership election committee

Conservative Party of B.C. forms leadership election committee

The Conservative Party of British Columbia says it has formed a leadership election organizing committee tasked with overseeing the selection of its new leader. Scott Lamb, chair of the committee, says in a statement that B.C. is "desperately in need of new leadership" to guide the province.

A new ‘cold’ war? Canada looks to bolster Arctic security, sovereignty

A new ‘cold’ war? Canada looks to bolster Arctic security, sovereignty

An increasingly aggressive Russia coupled with China’s growing influence have renewed Canada’s focus on Arctic defence and sovereignty — and how to assert control over its remote northern geography. The focus is on both increased surveillance — knowing what and who is poking around up there — and having military assets in place to deter any aggressor before they consider...

Carney says Canada 'welcomes the opportunity for freedom' after Maduro's capture

Carney says Canada 'welcomes the opportunity for freedom' after Maduro's capture

The daring ouster of the president of Venezuela by the U.S. military sent shockwaves through the Western Hemisphere as President Donald Trump heralded the operation in the oil-rich Latin American nation a success. Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted on Saturday afternoon by noting that one of the first actions taken by his new government in March was to impose additional...

Trump says U.S. will 'run' Venezuela after it ousts Maduro, jails him in New York

Trump says U.S. will 'run' Venezuela after it ousts Maduro, jails him in New York

The United States will run Venezuela following a "large-scale strike" early Saturday that ultimately resulted in the U.S. capturing the country's president, Nicolás Maduro, along with his wife, U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday. The U.S. will lead the oil-rich country until a "proper transition can take place," he said during a news conference late Saturday morning. He claimed the...

Canada stands by Venezuelan people's right to decide their future, says PM Carney

Canada stands by Venezuelan people's right to decide their future, says PM Carney

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada stands by the Venezuelan people's "right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society" after U.S. President Donald Trump announced American forces captured Venezuela's president early Saturday morning. "Canada has not recognised the illegitimate regime of [Nicolás] Maduro since it stole the 2018 election," Carney said on social media...

Liberals' stricter crime policy is a response to public concern: justice minister

Liberals' stricter crime policy is a response to public concern: justice minister

Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has so far put a heavy emphasis on stricter crime policies, tabling three justice bills in the fall sitting of Parliament. They incorporate a long list of Criminal Code amendments, from making bail tougher to obtain to imposing mandatory minimum and consecutive sentencing to creating new offences relating to intimidation and obstruction, promoting hatred and...

Ottawa propose fines of up to $1M for violating foreign influence registry rules

Ottawa propose fines of up to $1M for violating foreign influence registry rules

The federal government proposes fining people and organizations up to $1 million for failing to comply with the requirements of its planned foreign influence transparency registry. Newly published draft regulations are another step toward establishing the registry, which was set out in legislation passed in 2024 as part of a package of measures to counter foreign interference. The proposed regulations...

Venezuela President Maduro captured after US strike and will face drugs and weapons charges

Venezuela President Maduro captured after US strike and will face drugs and weapons charges

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured after a large-scale US strike on the capital city of Caracas, according to US President Donald Trump, who said more details will come in an 11 a.m. ET news conference. Trump told Fox News he watched Maduro’s capture in real-time “like a television show.” Trump said Maduro is aboard the USS Iwo Jima...

Alberta group gets green light to collect signatures for separation referendum

Alberta group gets green light to collect signatures for separation referendum

Alberta's election agency has fired the starter's pistol on the race to collect enough names for a referendum on the province quitting Canada. Elections Alberta announced Friday that Mitch Sylvestre and the Alberta Prosperity Project have from Saturday until May 2 to collect just under 178,000 signatures to qualify. "Citizen initiative petition signature sheets have been issued," Elections Alberta said...

Alberta Tory Party says prepping for possible spring election against Smith's UCP

Alberta Tory Party says prepping for possible spring election against Smith's UCP

The leader of a rival party to Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservatives says they're scrambling to organize on the chance Smith tries to undercut them by calling a spring election. "Time is not on the side of the UCP," Peter Guthrie, the head of Alberta's new Progressive Tory Party, said in an interview. "If you look at us organizing, we're...

Trump says if Iran "kills peaceful protesters," the U.S. will "come to their rescue"

Trump says if Iran "kills peaceful protesters," the U.S. will "come to their rescue"

President Trump warned Friday in a social media post that if Iran "violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue." Mr. Trump offered no further comment on Iran or how the U.S. might intervene to protect protesters in the country in the post on his Truth Social network, which was...

Carney will meet with Ukraine's allies in Paris as ceasefire talks intensify

Carney will meet with Ukraine's allies in Paris as ceasefire talks intensify

Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to France next week to meet with Ukraine's allies as talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Russia's war intensify. The Prime Minister's Office said Friday that Carney will be in Paris on Monday and Tuesday to meet with the "coalition of the willing" in an effort to push forward a ceasefire agreement. In...

2026 will see Canada slash immigration targets. What you need to know about the year ahead

2026 will see Canada slash immigration targets. What you need to know about the year ahead

Canada is set to tighten immigration rules and accept fewer new residents, students and temporary workers in 2026. The ongoing cuts are a major shift for the country, which had been boosting immigration levels for years. First introduced in late 2024 and updated again in November, the new caps and lower targets are meant to reduce Canada’s unemployment rate, address...

Leading economists want less talk, more numbers from federal budget watchdog

Leading economists want less talk, more numbers from federal budget watchdog

Critics also call on PBO to expand use of peer review. This year, two things will happen to Canada's fiscal watchdog: Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer Jason Jacques will be replaced or made permanent, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will publish its review of the office. While the OECD report will not come out for several months...

Bill C-16 ‘progress,’ but needs tougher language to codify femicide as a standalone crime, advocates say

Bill C-16 ‘progress,’ but needs tougher language to codify femicide as a standalone crime, advocates say

A researcher and academic who has studied violence against women for decades says Ottawa’s bill introducing femicide into the Criminal Code could have gone further to address endemic levels of gender-based violence. Myrna Dawson, a professor with the University of Guelph and executive director of the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, said Bill C-16 represents “progress,” but she...

Remote work option ending for thousands of public, private sector workers in 2026

Remote work option ending for thousands of public, private sector workers in 2026

The new year will bring some big changes to the rules on in-office work for many employees across the country -- including tens of thousands of provincial government staff in Ontario and Alberta who will soon be required back in the office full-time. As of Jan. 5, Ontario provincial government employees will be expected to work in the office five...

Downed power line in northern Manitoba repaired, electricity being restored

Downed power line in northern Manitoba repaired, electricity being restored

Manitoba Hydro said Thursday it is restoring power to residents of a northern First Nation after a downed power line forced residents out. Completion of the challenging repairs came a day after the chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to send in the military to deal with the crisis caused by the outage. The community has...

Federal government won’t say whether it will criminalize residential school denials

Federal government won’t say whether it will criminalize residential school denials

The federal government is not revealing whether it will act on calls to pass a law that would criminalize denying that Indigenous children suffered abuses in Canada’s residential school system. The issue has bubbled in the background of Canadian politics for several years and gained prominence after several First Nations announced they had located potential unmarked graves at former school...

New year, new tax measures: What to expect in 2026

New year, new tax measures: What to expect in 2026

Liberals roll out a personal support worker tax credit to run from 2026 to 2030. The coming year will see some changes to existing tax measures, the abandonment of others and some help for personal support workers. But overall changes to the taxes individuals pay will be minor in 2026. Daniel Rogozynski, an accountant and professor at the University of...

Spy watchdog reviewing Canadian security agencies' use of artificial intelligence

Spy watchdog reviewing Canadian security agencies' use of artificial intelligence

Canada's spy watchdog is examining the use and governance of artificial intelligence in national security activities. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency has informed key federal ministers and organizations of the study, which will look at how the security community defines, uses and oversees aspects of AI technologies. Canadian security agencies have used AI for tasks ranging from translation...

Jobs, economy top voters' priorities at the end of a turbulent 2025: Nanos poll

Jobs, economy top voters' priorities at the end of a turbulent 2025: Nanos poll

A year-end poll from Nanos suggests Canadians will want to see action from the Liberal government on major economic files in the new year. Just over one in five respondents to the poll published this week said jobs and the economy were the most important national issues — more than double the 10 per cent who listed relations with the...

Seven Canadians were injured in Peru train collision: foreign affairs minister

Seven Canadians were injured in Peru train collision: foreign affairs minister

Canada's foreign affairs minister says seven Canadians were injured Tuesday in a train crash near the Machu Picchu archaeological site in Peru.

Alberta, Quebec referendums likely would fail due to Canadians' anxiety: pollster

Alberta, Quebec referendums likely would fail due to Canadians' anxiety: pollster

A pollster says separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec are unlikely to succeed as long as Canadians feel a persistent sense of insecurity and anxiety about the future. David Coletto, whose polling firm Abacus Data has been studying what it calls the "precarity mindset" in Canada for the last year, says that uncertainty would need to ease in order for...

Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz quits cabinet, to leave soon as MLA

Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz quits cabinet, to leave soon as MLA

Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz is quitting cabinet and says she will also soon be leaving the legislature altogether. Schulz made the announcement on social media Wednesday. She says she has offered her resignation from cabinet effective Friday and will step down as the United Conservative legislature member for Calgary-Shaw by May. "Timing is everything in life and in politics,"...

Carney reflects on 2025's 'challenges' in New Year's Eve message

Carney reflects on 2025's 'challenges' in New Year's Eve message

Prime Minister Mark Carney says in his New Year's Eve message that Canada faced "challenges" in 2025 but the country is strongest when it's united. As Canadians prepare to ring in the new year, Carney says it's a time to reflect on the moments that brought us joy in 2025 and the people who made our lives special. But he...

Andre De Grasse, Nardwuar among 80 new appointments to the Order of Canada

Andre De Grasse, Nardwuar among 80 new appointments to the Order of Canada

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has announced 80 appointments to the Order of Canada — a list that includes Olympians, journalists, Indigenous leaders and doctors. Simon's office announced six new companions, the highest level of the Order of Canada; 15 officers; and 59 members, the introductory level in the order. Six appointments are a promotion within the Order of Canada and...

Is it 'treason' for Alberta separatists to maneuver with foreign officials? Ottawa says no

Is it 'treason' for Alberta separatists to maneuver with foreign officials? Ottawa says no

Unlike the U.S. Logan Act, Canada has no law on the books stopping citizens from meeting with foreign governments. Federal officials say that Alberta separatists going around Ottawa and repeatedly meeting with U.S. officials to advance their cause is legal for Canadians, within certain limits, even though similar behaviour could be prohibited elsewhere. When separatist organizer Jeffrey Rath claimed last...

Ipsos poll reveals the news Canadians watched and worried about in 2025

Ipsos poll reveals the news Canadians watched and worried about in 2025

Affordability and health care topped the list of Canadians’ top issues in 2025, while the decline of the Canada–U.S. relationship dominated the year’s biggest news stories for Canadians, according to new polling conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Global News. “Affordability ranked number one on the issues Canadians focused most on this past year, overwhelmingly,” Ipsos Public Affairs CEO Darrell...

‘Year of sport’: SecState van Koeverden pitches Canada as ‘best host nation in the world’ ahead of 2026 World Cup

‘Year of sport’: SecState van Koeverden pitches Canada as ‘best host nation in the world’ ahead of 2026 World Cup

Athletics 'are a great way to open doors,' says Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden. But although the World Cup excitement is ‘undeniable,’ human rights concerns, and hockey’s ‘reckoning’ in 2025 have left Canadian fans feeling ‘deeply conflicted,’ counters NDP critic Gord Johns.

Harman Bhangu says he will 'most likely' run for leadership of B.C. Conservatives

Harman Bhangu says he will 'most likely' run for leadership of B.C. Conservatives

VICTORIA -- B.C. Conservative MLA Harman Bhangu says he will "most likely" run for the leadership of the provincial Opposition party, if the yet-to-be-released rules for the race are to his liking.



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Rubio says US won't govern Venezuela but will press for changes through oil blockade

Rubio says US won't govern Venezuela but will press for changes through oil blockade

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela other than enforcing an existing "oil quarantine" on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro. Rubio's statements on TV talk shows...

US intervention in Venezuela could test Trump's ability to hold GOP together in an election year

US intervention in Venezuela could test Trump's ability to hold GOP together in an election year

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's military intervention in Venezuela will pose a fresh test of his ability to hold together a restive Republican coalition during a challenging election year.

FACT FOCUS: Trump repeats false claims as he discusses US raid to extract Venezuela's president

FACT FOCUS: Trump repeats false claims as he discusses US raid to extract Venezuela's president

President Donald Trump on Saturday held an extended news conference to explain the U.S. raid on Venezuela to extract President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, at times veering off topic and repeating false claims around his initiatives.

Zohran Mamdani promises to govern 'expansively and audaciously' in inaugural speech as NYC mayor

Zohran Mamdani promises to govern 'expansively and audaciously' in inaugural speech as NYC mayor

NEW YORK (AP) -- Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City on Thursday, taking over one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics with a promise to transform government on behalf of the city's striving, struggling working class.

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Canada, allies should decry Trump flouting international law at Paris summit, experts say

Canada, allies should decry Trump flouting international law at Paris summit, experts say

Canada and its allies must send a strong signal to the United States from a Paris summit on Ukraine this week that they do not support President Donald Trump’s flouting of international law through a military strike on Venezuela that seized its leader, foreign policy experts say. French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday is gathering leaders of European countries as...

Mexico condemns U.S. military action in Venezuela, protesters call for Ottawa support

Mexico condemns U.S. military action in Venezuela, protesters call for Ottawa support

As a number of countries condemn the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, protesters in Ottawa were calling for the federal government to support the right to self-determination for the Venezuelan people and for the U.S. to back away. Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the U.S. embassy steps away from Parliament Hill on Sunday...

Rubio says US won't govern Venezuela but will press for changes through oil blockade

Rubio says US won't govern Venezuela but will press for changes through oil blockade

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela other than enforcing an existing "oil quarantine" on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro. Rubio's statements on TV talk shows...

Trump's plan to seize and revitalize Venezuela's oil industry faces major hurdles

Trump's plan to seize and revitalize Venezuela's oil industry faces major hurdles

President Donald Trump's plan to take control of Venezuela's oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it after capturing President Nicolas Maduro in a raid isn't likely to have a significant immediate impact on oil prices. Venezuela's oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions, so it could take years and major investments before production...

Carney says Canada 'welcomes the opportunity for freedom' after Maduro's capture

Carney says Canada 'welcomes the opportunity for freedom' after Maduro's capture

The daring ouster of the president of Venezuela by the U.S. military sent shockwaves through the Western Hemisphere as President Donald Trump heralded the operation in the oil-rich Latin American nation a success. Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted on Saturday afternoon by noting that one of the first actions taken by his new government in March was to impose additional...

Think Tank

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Policy Q&A: Sen. Peter Boehm on Year One of Trump II

Policy Q&A: Sen. Peter Boehm on Year One of Trump II

Lisa Van Dusen: Senator Boehm, that was quite a year. Between the trade war, Donald Trump’s renewed undermining of multilateralism, and the geopolitical implications of American degradation — I think Trump’s recent National Security Strategy may have summed it up best as a capstone to 2025. How do you see Trump II, Year One? Sen. Peter Boehm: In foreign policy...

2025 Year in Review: 5 Things We Learned About Asia and Canada

2025 Year in Review: 5 Things We Learned About Asia and Canada

The year 2025 was a year of volatility, experimentation, and recalibration across Asia and Canada. Much of the volatility stemmed from U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda, which upended global trade norms and injected new uncertainty into supply chains. China, meanwhile, pressed ahead with an increasingly assertive industrial strategy, even as it contended with slower domestic growth and structural...

Canada’s China reset just got much harder

Canada’s China reset just got much harder

Even modest Canadian engagement with China may be judged less on its merits than on how it is interpreted in the U.S. within a framework designed to ‘wind down adversarial outside influence.’


Substacks

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A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.

If you're not watching what's happening in Québec you're losing the plot

If you're not watching what's happening in Québec you're losing the plot

You may want to dust off your Bescherelles, Canadian politicos: the battle for the future of Québec is where things are going to happen in 2026. In case you missed it, today the new leader of the Québec Liberal Party, Pablo Rodriguez, announced his resignation. His resignation was precipitated by a terrible, scandalous month for the QLP — one that...

A shrinking landscape for transparency

A shrinking landscape for transparency

The federal government this week dumped its load of annual statistics about citizens’ use of the Access to Information Act.

Remembering Stephen Thorne (1959-2025)

Remembering Stephen Thorne (1959-2025)

Stephen Thorne has died. The bitter, unexpected death of a tough journalist who wrote about death but couldn’t report on his own. He’d have written a damn fine story about it. I was his boss for years, in Halifax and Ottawa, though Stephen had no time for bosses. He followed his nose for stories whether or not anybody asked for...

Podcasts

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Bob Rae on Leaving a Fractured UN

Bob Rae on Leaving a Fractured UN

Bob Rae talks about his five years as Canada's Ambassador at the United Nations. And with Louise, Jeremy and Peter, he looks forward to the global challenges - and opportunities - of 2026, and how Canada and its allies can step up to reverse the damage caused by the Trump Administration, Russia and China.

Quiz time! How many 2025 political headlines do you remember?

Quiz time! How many 2025 political headlines do you remember?

This week on The House: Three Parliament Hill watchers square off against each other to see who can remember the most from a very eventful and consequential year in Canadian politics.

The Numbers: Predicting 2026 in federal politics!

The Numbers: Predicting 2026 in federal politics!

After the beating our predictions took in 2025, we’ve lifted ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and are once again ready to try to predict the political year to come. Yes, it’s time for our annual Over/Under Contest, the fifth year in a row that Philippe and I go head-to-head to see who has the better crystal ball for 2026. What...

Tom Nichols: Is This a New Low for Trump?

Tom Nichols: Is This a New Low for Trump?

The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols joins Steve to discuss Trump’s “ghoulish” comments about Rob and Michele Reiner’s murders, if this is a new low for him, how he sees the Trump administration as a “confederacy of toddlers,” if Trump is losing his grip on the Republican Party, the growing rift within the GOP, the resentments Americans feel, and what happens after...